Email marketing is a highly effective digital marketing strategy where you send emails to prospective and existing customers in order to drive sales and increase brand awareness. An effective email marketing campaign will turn prospects into customers and transition a one-time buyer to a repeat purchaser. Email marketing is one of the most effective ways to get existing customers to repurchase and drive sales. However, to be successful you must be sending out compelling emails that will resonate with your audience.

The value in email marketing
Despite the rise in social media over the year’s email marketing remains one of the most effective ways to create leads and increase customer loyalty. Email is a primary communication channel with 99% of consumers checking their email daily. Email marketing converts better than other mediums as people who buy through marketed emails spend more money. The average order value of an email is three times higher than social media and has a much higher return on investment.

Creating an effective list
First things first, you will want to create an effective list. You can’t send email marketing campaigns if you don’t have people to send them to. The other thing to remember is that email marketing won’t work if you don’t send them to the right people. Using an email service provider (ESP) you can segment your audience, organize your list, and distribute email campaigns to your preferred audience.

create a compelling strategy
Getting a consumer to open an email is one thing while acquiring a sale through an email campaign is another. To convert open rates to a purchase you must create captivating creative emails that are visually appealing and capture the attention of the recipient. 

1. Ensure Brand Consistency – it is important that your emails are cohesive with your website and other channels. This will build trust amongst your audience and increase brand awareness.
   
   
2. All Designs Make a Difference – Adding even simple features will allow your email to look professional and again build trust amongst your audience. Changing the text colour or buttons to match your brand will build a stronger connection with your audience and overall be more appealing.
   
   
3. Showcase Products in a Creative Way – Use your email campaign as an opportunity to showcase your products creatively. Good product photos will encourage a customer to continue scrolling and bring them to your site. Make sure to showcase your product collection in an appealing way to capture the attention of the audience. 

Email is not dead, but some practices are
Avoid using impersonal subject lines. The subject line can make or break open-rate and lead to an email not even being opened despite the hard work you put into the campaign. Try to target the consumer by creating content that they identify with. Personalizing marketing messages makes the customer feel valued and connected to what is being sold to them.

do not avoid GDPR practices
Make sure the reader has provided clear unambiguous permission to receive marketing emails. Full compliance with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) ensures sending marketing emails is legal to avoid any legal complications, but also ensures you are sending emails to those who would like them and benefit from them. The GDPR was created to protect consumer’s data and personal information is being used by trusted brands. The GDPR ensures the ability to opt-out of email campaigns and benefits marketers by ensuring their emails are only being sent to consumers that are interested in their brand.

use mobile-friendly templates 
More times than not consumers are going to be checking their email throughout the day on their phones. Many consumers receive email notifications right to their phone and if they are not mobile-friendly will get looked past or be deleted as they appear to be spam. This poor practice will increase your bounce rate due to poor user experience and should be changed immediately.

make use of those metrics
Metrics will help alter your marketing campaigns and discover where you need improvement and where you are doing great! Tracking metrics will help you to analyze the subscriber's behaviour and get an inside look at what is happening on the other side of your email once it’s sent.

Sending out marketing emails is simply not enough in 2021. Email marketing is not dead but it is important to make the most out of your campaign with compelling and strategic content. Making great use of metrics will help alter your campaign to appeal to your audience and continuing to improve this strategy will result in increased ROI and average order value!

Let our inbound marketing experts approach your next campaign with a strategic plan. Get in touch with us today to discover what strategy is going to elevate your business in 2021!